Current wireless mobile communication devices include microprocessors, memory, soundcards, and run one or more software applications. Examples of software applications used in these wireless devices include micro-browsers, address books, email clients, instant messaging (“IM”) clients, and wavetable instruments. Additionally, wireless devices have access to a plurality of services via the Internet. A wireless device may, for example, be used to browse web sites on the Internet, to transmit and receive graphics, and to execute streaming audio and/or video applications. The transfer of Internet content to and from wireless device is typically facilitated by the Wireless Application Protocol (“WAP”), which integrates the Internet and other networks with wireless network platforms.
With respect to email messages, a typical message list for a user may have many threads of messages. A message thread is a sequence of messages relating to the same topic. A simple message thread includes messages that switch back and forth between two recipients much like a conversation. Typically, each message in the thread contains the message text from the body of the message that the user is replying to. The longer the thread goes on, the longer the text of the message is (and the more memory space each reply uses).
Now, consider the following scenario. A user of a wireless device receives one or more messages from an email thread while the device is holstered. The wireless device vibrates to indicate to the user that a message has arrived. When the user removes the wireless device from its holster and observes the wireless device's display screen, the user is presented with the message. The content of the message displayed to the user depends on the timing of receipt of the message. If several other users are responding to the thread, the user may not be shown the most recent message text in the thread for the message displayed. If new messages for the thread are received while the user is reading or responding to one of the earlier messages, it will not be clear to the user that another message for that thread has arrived. In other words, the message thread will not be updated.
One problem caused by the lack of message thread updating is that when a first user responds to a message, the content of the first user's response may have already been sent in a response to the message from a second user. This wastes the time of the first user, who may have composed a message with similar content to that of the second user, as well as the time of other recipients of the messages from the first and second users who must now read the two similar messages.
Therefore, one shortcoming of present wireless and other devices is their inability to effectively update email message threads. Furthermore, the need to effectively update email message threads is increasing in importance with the increase in the number of email related applications being run on wireless and other devices.
A need therefore exists for an improved method and system of updating email message threads in wireless and other devices. Accordingly, a solution that addresses, at least in part, the above and other shortcomings is desired.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.